Who's going to win?

Who's going to win?

Carl Pettersson

14.3%

Webb Simpson

14.3%

Jason Dufner

21.4%

Brandt Snedeker

14.3%

Someone else

35.7%

Total votes: 14

It's not like that was unexpected, though. The 34-year-old lives in Raleigh and went to school at North Carolina State, so it's not surprising that he's tearing up a golf course that is just an hour-and-a-half away. In fact, Pettersson owns the course record with a score of 259, which won him this tournament in 2008.

But while Pettersson, who is having a fantastic season and is currently in ninth in the FedEx Cup rankings, looks like the clear favorite after Day 1, there are still plenty of players right on his trail.

Let's take a closer look.

Day 1 Leaderboard

Rank

Player

Score

1

Carl Pettersson

-8

T2

David Mathis

-7

T2

Tim Clark

-7

T4

Tom Gillis

-6

T4

Scott Stallings

-6

T4

Troy Matteson

-6

7

Matt Every

-5

T8

Chris Kirk

-4

T8

Webb Simpson

-4

T8

Gary Woodland

-4

There are currently nine other players tied for eighth place at four-under. For a complete look at the leaderboard, check out pgatour.com.

Projected Cut

The top 70 players plus all ties make the cut after Round 2, and currently, the projected cut line sits at even par.

However, Jason Dufner (-2) and John Huh (-1) are just barely above it.

Day 2 Predictions

Pettersson Holds Lead

Because of golf's lack of predictability from one day to the next, it's often not a surprise when the leader after Thursday takes a big step back on Friday.

Hunter Martin/Getty Images

But don't expect that to happen to Pettersson.

The 34-year-old was tremendous on Thursday, racking up eight birdies and no bogeys in what was essentially a perfect round of golf.

As mentioned earlier, he loves this course and he's having a great season, but if that's not reason enough to back him, know that he has plenty of motivation. A win here would vault him all the way up to third in Fed-Ex points.

With the way Pettersson is playing, his own course record might just be in jeopardy.

Nicolas Colsaerts Cracks Top Five

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

After Colsaerts finished 27th at the U.S. Open and seventh at the Open Championship, I was ready for this up-and-coming stud to really go on a big run.

But he finished 45th at Bridgestone and missed the cut at the PGA, stopping whatever momentum he had right in its tracks.

However, after a three-under 67 on Thursday, the 29-year-old Belgium is in a tie for 18th and appears ready to return to his early-season success.

Don't be surprised if Colsaerts uses his aggressive style on this not-so-hard course to put up a 62 or 63 on Friday, boosting him into serious contention.